When All Is Said & Done
by SG1Bauer
Summary: Bill and Karen story, takes place after Episode 19 of Season6. Spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This idea came to me after watching episode 19 of Season 6. This takes place directly after that episode, so there are definitley spoilers for Season 6. Enjoy and please revview and let me know what you think.

Chapter 1: Bill's POV

Former CTU Director, Bill Buchanan, sat quietly in his living room, bare feet propped up on the mahogany coffee table, as he blankly stared at the TV screen which was currently relaying the latest news on the terror attacks. After he had been escorted out of CTU by security, Bill drove home, all the while thinking over his last conversation with Karen. Pulling into his garage, Bill exited his SUV and unlocked the front door, before making his way upstairs to the master bedroom. He quickly stripped out of his suit and tie, glad to be rid of those accursed clothes and changed into a plain, loose-fitting white t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants.

Though he had every intention of climbing into bed and sleeping until the end of time, Bill found that sleep eluded him. The phone call with Karen, which ended abruptly when he hung up, continued to plague him. Realizing he was not going to fall asleep any time soon, Bill instead headed back downstairs to pour himself a drink and then took a seat on the couch and flipped on the TV.

As Bill downed the whiskey in his glass, he though to himself, _God, how could I have been so stupid to yell at her like that._

He still didn't agree with her belief that him stepping down was the only solution, but that didn't excuse his decision to hang up on her when she was trying to explain the situation to him.

_There has to be another way around this,_ Bill thought. _I don't care about my career, but I can't let my marriage fall apart, I just can't. I don't believe this, I was finally happy; I had everything I could ever want, then those damn terror attacks and it all fell apart. Karen flew out to D.C., we haven't seen each other in months, and it all just dissolved; now it's worse than ever._

Bill's train of thought led him to the decision to save his marriage; picking up the phone that sat on the end table beside the couch, he dialed his wife's cell phone.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ok here's the second chapter, Karen's POV. I plan to post a new chapter each day because they're short. Enjoy and please, please, review.

Chapter 2

Karen's POV:

National Security Advisor, Karen Hayes, restlessly paced the floor of her office, lost deep in thought, contemplating her decision to fire Bill.

_Lennox was right, wasn't he?_ she hesitantly asked herself. _There was no other way to protect the President than to distance him and the Administration from the problem, and the only way to do that was to fire Bill._ _If I made the right decision_, she thought, _why do I hate myself for it?_

"Damn you, Reed Pollock," she cursed out loud to the empty room. This had all come to light because of his desperate attempt to save his own ass and set someone else up to take the fall. Suddenly, she stopped pacing and realization hit her: that's exactly what she was doing to her husband. The man she was supposed to stand beside through anything, no matter how bad. The man who had dedicated his entire career to serving his country, and who would, without a doubt, give his life if necessary. The man she had devoted her life to and loved more than she could ever imagine. She had done to Bill, exactly what Pollock had done: she had thought of herself before her husband and let him take the fall.

_How did I not realize this before?_ she wondered. _I let politics and concern for my career get in the way of what I really want in life, to be with Bill. God, I miss him so much. Why did any of this have to happen? _All she wanted was to back at home in LA, curled up in bed, snuggling with her husband.

_I can't do this. There is no way I'll be able to do my job with a clear conscience, knowing that it cost Bill his career. I have to resign_, she decided._ I don't care about the political consequences or the affect this could have on my career. I just can't let him shoulder all the blame alone. We were both involved, and if the DOJ needs someone to take the fall, we'll do it together._

And with that, Karen reached for her cell phone, just as it began to ring.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hope you enjoy this next chapter. I''m planning on continuing this for a few more chapters, though I'm not exactly sure how many there will be. Thanks to all who read and reviewed. Enjoy!!

Chapter 3

Karen picked up her cell, checked the caller ID, and saw it was her and Bill's house number. A small smile crept onto her face as she flipped open the phone, and answered with a simple, "Hey", a gentle tone lacing her voice.

Then, Bill's soothing and compassionate voice responded in kind, "Hey. Look, about earlier," he began, "I shouldn't have hung up on you like that. It was a stupid and impulsive decision and I'm sorry."

"Bill, you don't need to apologize," she replied, feeling guilty that he was apologizing to her. "I understand; you were angry and upset, and you had every right to feel that way."

"Still, it doesn't excuse my behavior or some of the things I said. You were just trying to explain the situation and I wouldn't listen," he gently explained.

"Well, I appreciate that, but I should really be the one apologizing to you. I had no right to ask you to step down and take the fall for this. I'm sorry, honey."

"Sweetheart, you did what you thought was right in order to protect the Administration. I may not agree with it, but it was your choice to make."

"You're exactly right, Bill," Karen began, "I did what I _thought_ was right. It just took me a little longer than it should have to realize that it wasn't the right decision."

Confused by her statement, he asked, "What do mean?"

"Well, for starters, I took advice from Tom Lennox. That alone should tell you that the decision wasn't the right one," she replied, hoping to lighten the situation.

Hearing this brought a small to Bill's face and he even chuckled slightly before saying, "You have a point there."

Karen could hear the smile in her husband's voice, and it caused her to smile as well. She even managed to catch the short and rarely heard laugh that escaped from Bill's lips. He laughed and smiled so rarely, but she loved it when he did. He looked so adorable.

Returning to her previous focus of the conversation, she said, "Bill, we were both involved in the situation. You shouldn't be left to shoulder the blame on your own."

"What're you saying?" he asked, not sure where she was going with this.

"I'm resigning, Bill," she replied, confidently.

"Karen, you can't," he responded, shocked that she would even consider it. Sure, he hated having to resign from CTU, but he couldn't let his wife destroy her career just for him. "I've already stepped down, the problem's solved, they have their scapegoat. There's no point in you ruining your career too."

"Yes, there is," she stated matter-of-factly. "We had equal involvement in the issue. I'm not willing to stand by and watch you take the fall for both of us. Once the DOJ launches their investigation, we'll either both be cleared and reinstated, since we did nothing wrong, or we'll go down together. But, I made a vow when I married you to stand by your side through anything, and I plan to keep that promise."

"I…I don't know what to say," he replied, "There's nothing I can say that will change your mind, is there?"

"No, there isn't. There'll be other jobs, Bill, and I can live without be National Security Advisor. I can't live without you," she continued with a smile.

Her response brought a small smile to his lips as he replied, "I love you so much, sweetheart."

Smiling herself, Karen said, "I love you too and I can't wait to see you again."

"When were you planning on resigning?" he asked.

"Immediately. Palmer's still unconscious and there's no way to know when he'll be able to resume his position, if ever. And Daniel's definitely doesn't need me here. He makes up his mind on everything before he even consults the rest of the Administration."

"And after that?" he inquired, hoping she would catch the first plane back to LA and come home after being away for so long.

"I'll be on the very first flight to Los Angeles," she said with a smile.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that," he replied as he let out a yawn from lack of sleep. "Sorry, the day's finally catching up with me."

"You should get some sleep," Karen advised, knowing her husband would fight his fatigue as long as possible.

"I was planning on it, but I needed to talk to you first. I couldn't rest easy without clearing the air between us."

Even after being married to Bill for a while, she was still amazed at how caring and compassionate he could be. He had such a gentle heart and self-less demeanor; thinking of her before his own well being.

"Well, like I said, I will be on the first plane that leaves for LA, so get some rest."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a smirk.

"I love you and I should be home by this afternoon," she replied, looking down at her watch, noticing it was still very early in the morning.

"I love you too, Karen," Bill said, "I'll see you soon."

"You too, honey. Bye," she said, wrapping up their conversation.

"Bye," Bill replied warmly.

Hanging up, Karen placed her cell phone back down on her desk and sat down to print out another letter of resignation. She then left her office, and walked briskly down the corridor to the Oval Office.

After his conversation with Karen, Bill replaced phone and turned to head upstairs where he climbed into bed. He quickly fell into a peaceful sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, a smile on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here's chapter 4! I plan on the next chapter being the reunion, which I'm excited about writing :) So enjoy!!

Chapter 4

As she reached the door to the Oval Office, Karen paused briefly before knocking on the door. Hearing Daniels invite her in, she turned the brass knob and opened the door. Seeing who it was Daniels greeted her, "Karen, please come in. Take a seat"

"Thank you, Mr. President," she replied to the recently sworn in Daniels, as she sat down on the couch.

"So," Daniels began, taking a seat across from her, "what can I do for you, Karen?"

"Sir, I'm here to tender my resignation," she answered, confidently.

"Again, you mean," he said rather harshly.

"Yes sir," she knew he was going to bring up her previous resignation and throw it right in her face for going against him during the vote to keep Palmer in office. "The threat from Fayed and the other terrorists is over. There's nothing more I can do here and I've decided I need to step down as National Security Advisor."

"May I ask why?"

"Personal reasons, sir," she replied. Karen had no intention whatsoever of telling Daniels about the situation with Bill. She figured he would find out eventually, but she wasn't going to be the one to tell him and give him that kind of satisfaction.

"Karen, I understand your desire to be back in Los Angeles with you husband, but we still have the situation with Jack Bauer to deal with. I know you and I haven't seen eye to eye these past few hours but this Administration needs you."

"Thank you, sir, but with all due respect, this is non-negotiable. My decision's final," she said assuredly as she handed the letter to him.

"Well, if that's how you feel," Daniels declared, "I can't stop you. I should mention though, what happened earlier today with your resignation cannot happen again. This will be final."

"I understand that Mr. President," she replied, "and I am one hundred percent sure about this."

"Alright, I'll process this immediately," he said, signing her resignation form, "Good luck, Karen."

"Thank you, sir," Karen said, and with that stood up and walked out of the Oval Office. She then made her way down the hall to collect her things before leaving for her hotel, and then for the airport. Just as she rounded a corner, she saw none other than Tom Lennox walking towards her.

"Karen," he greeted her. Upon seeing her jacket and keys, he asked, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Home, Tom," she answered simply.

"I know you're probably exhausted, Karen, but we still have a huge situation to deal with here. I'm sure it won't take more than a few hours, than you can head back to your hotel," he replied, wondering why she was leaving when they had yet to resolve the problem surrounding Jack Bauer.

"I'm not going back to the hotel, Tom. At least not any longer than it takes to gather my things," she stated, hoping he would pick up on the fact she was leaving Washington.

"I don't understand," he said.

Ok, so he hadn't picked up on it. _Why am I not surprised?_ she thought to herself. "I'm going back to LA, Tom, for good."

"Wait, you stepped down? Does this have to do with the investigation into Fayed's release? Because I thought you decided to fire Bill to distance you and the President from the problem."

"Yes, I did but I'm not willing to let my husband take the fall for the both of us," she explained. "Just because he signed the release form doesn't mean I had no involvement. I agreed with his decision and had no right to order him to take the blame. I made the wrong decision before but I realize that now and I have to do this."

"You're going to ruin your career because you feel guilty about firing, Bill? That's ridiculous, Karen. Resigning won't change what happens to him, but you're just going end up hurting yourself," he replied, shocked that she was willing to destroy her career to make her husband feel better.

"Tom, I appreciate what you're trying to do. But, you said earlier, in your office that I had to decide if I wanted to 'stand shoulder to shoulder' with my husband on this and I've come to the decision that that is exactly what I need to do and, more importantly, what I _want _to do."

"Well, if you feel that strongly about it, I guess I'm not going to change your mind," he said, defeated. "For what it's worth, I hope everything works out."

"Thank you," she replied with a small smile, "Well, I better go."

"Good luck Karen," he said, as they shook hands.

"You too, good-bye Tom," she replied and continued down the hall towards the exit. Karen then got into her car, and drove back to her hotel suite where she packed up the numerous clothes she had with her, before once again heading towards the airport.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ok so this is the last chapter and I realized I completely forgot a disclaimer. Yeah I know big deal right? Well in attempt to prevent from unneccesary lawsuits...here ya go. I don't own 24 or the characters, they belong to FOX. Ok, so yeah I decided to make this the last chapter for a few reasons...first, I have serious writer's block, and also my school work is beginning to pile up...so I hope you enjoyed this story, I hope to write more once I get the time and thank you for reading and reviewing. Enjoy!!!

Chapter 5

It was roughly 1:30 in the afternoon, Pacific Time, when the jet in which Karen Hayes sat, touched down onto the runway at Van Nuys Airport. Standing up from her seat, thankful for relief from the confines of the seat, she opened the over-head compartment and grabbed her carry-on, before disembarking from the plane.

Karen had arrived at the airport in D.C. and had been lucky enough to catch an early flight. After flying for almost 6 hours, she had finally arrived in Los Angeles and was extremely eager to get home and see Bill. After leaving baggage claim with her suitcase, she walked out into the sunny city, slipped her sunglasses on, and flagged down a cab to take her home.

Twenty minutes later, Karen stepped out of the cab and made her way up the sidewalk to her front door. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, dropping her keys and purse on the table that sat against the wall by the door. Hoping that Bill had taken her advice and gone to bed hours ago, she quietly made her way upstairs with her suitcase and into their bedroom. As she opened the door, she smiled when she saw that Bill was sleeping peacefully.

_He looks so adorable when he sleeps_, she thought. She loved the way he looked when he was asleep. All the stress and tension that was usually there disappeared. After changing into a pair of pajama pants and a tank top, Karen slipped into bed and curled up beside her husband, just as she did every night before having to fly out to Washington. _Never again_, she thought. _No more nights sleeping alone, wishing I was with him._ And that was her final thought before she too drifted off to sleep, the exhaustion from the hectic day finally winning out.

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A few hours later, Bill slowly woke up, feeling much better after sleeping for over 12 hours. Feeling something warm pressed against him, he looked down to see the sleeping form of his beautiful wife, her head lying on his chest. He smiled down at her as he gently kissed her forehead, causing her to stir.

Looking up into her husband's face, she smiled and said, "Hey, you."

"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you," he replied softly, taking her face in his hands and gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "God, you're beautiful. I've missed you so much." And with that he crashed his lips on hers, re-familiarizing himself with the feel and taste of her kiss.

Pulling back from the kiss, Bill gazed into her eyes as she said, "I've missed you too. I hated spending that much time apart, but we don't have to worry about that anymore."

"So everything worked out back in D.C.? Daniels didn't give you hard time or anything?" he asked, curious.

"Not anymore than could be expected," she replied with a smile. "Bill about this investigation…"

Placing a finger over her lips, he said, "No don't think about it, sweetheart. Whatever happens, in the end, we'll be together, just like you said. I don't care about my career or the political consequences. I care about you, because that's all that matters to me."

"Oh, Bill. I love you so much," Karen whispered, as a single tear slipped down her cheek. Bill reached up and wiped it off her cheek with his thumb, before tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"I love you too, honey. And don't worry, no matter what happens, I'll always be there for you," he replied. Bill then leaned down and captured her mouth in another passionate and loving kiss. The couple spent the rest of the day in bed together, away from the world and lost in each other.


End file.
